CBI Court sentences 5 accused persons to 3 years Imprisonment with fine of Rs 2.5 lakh in Telgi Bogus Stamp Scam

New Delhi [India], December 31 (ANI): The Special Judge for CBI Cases on December 30 sentenced 5 accused persons namely Falguni Ben Babubhai Patel; Kishore Kumar Purshottambhai Patel; Prashant Nangappa Patil; Amzad Ali and Shailh Zakir Hussain to 3 years' Imprisonment with a total fine of Rs 2.5 lakh in Telgi Bogus Stamp Scam, the CBI said in a press release on Tuesday.
These individuals were found guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), for offences of criminal conspiracy, forgery of stamps, cheating, forgery and making or possessing forged documents, etc.
The case was registered by CBI on transfer of investigation of the case of CID Crime, Gandhi Nagar Zone, Gujarat. It was alleged that the accused persons (license & unlicense vendors) knowingly utilized/ sold forged stamp papers, Court fee stamps, Share transfer stamps, etc. of various denominations in the Ahmedabad and Surat area of Gujarat.
The scam, which was uncovered in 2001, involved the circulation of counterfeit stamps, a significant offence that had wide-reaching consequences for both the economy and the integrity of the public administration. The fraudulent activities were discovered during a raid on stamp vendors in Surat and Ahmadabad, where authorities seized a large number of bogus stamps. 'The operation was traced to two offices operating under the names "Sadguru Services" and "Sahay Services."
In this case, the CBI had charge-sheeted a total of l6 accused. Out of these, two accused persons passed away during the course of the trial, while nine others were convicted earlier. The Court vide Judgment dt. August 20, 2008, sentenced 5 accused namely, Shabbir Ahmed Sheikh, Shivaji, Khalid Ahmed, Vijay Solanki and Jacob Chako to undergo imprisonment for a term of five years and a fine of Rs 25000 each.
Later, vide Judgment dated March 19, 2009 the Court had sentenced 3 accused namely, Sadiq Ibrahim Hudli & AKL Telgi to imprisonment of 7 years and fine of Rs 35000 each and accused Sidharth @ Sidhu to undergo imprisonment for 5 years and a fine of Rs 30000. Further vide judgment dated August 4, 2010, the Court had sentenced accused Raju Nayak to imprisonment for 2 years.
The conviction of the accused by the Court underscores the commitment of the CBI to ensure accountability and uphold the rule of law in the fight against corruption and fraudulent activities. (ANI)